Muskoka Magic; Ontario's Cottage Country

"Muskoka," "Algonquin," and "Kawartha" are beautiful regions in central Ontario that conjure up images of Adirondack chairs lined up on a lakeside dock with a canoe tied to it. We envision night skies full of bright stars and the smell of campfire smoke.  Of misty mornings and loon calls.  This is Ontario's Cottage Country...

Rolling Hills of Bracebridge

Being a transplant from Vancouver to South West Ontario, I heard so much about Muskoka.  This is the famous Ontario "Cottage Country" where rich folks from Toronto and Ottawa have their summer "cottages,"; similar to Whistler in the West Coast where rich Vancouverites had their mountain "cabins."   The cottages and cabins I speak of are, in many cases, luxury houses (I wish there were a way of indicating quotation marks used in a sarcastic tone).
My imagination was filled with images of fancy cottages lining pristine, glittering lakes strewn with private docks and No Trespassing & Private Property signs posted on every fence and driveway.  So what's the real deal with Muskoka?

We finally got to visit this region on our way to Ontario's famous Algonquin Park.  Luckily we have some family in Muskoka that invited us to stop by for a visit.  We drove from our farm near Kitchener, Ontario, along Highway 401 towards Toronto and then headed North towards Barrie on Highway 400.  Once past Barrie, you take Highway 11, and the landscape noticeably changes. The cottage vibes begin, and you find yourself looking out over endless rolling hills covered in lush maple forests and dotted with thousands of shining lakes.

Our first stop in Muskoka was Bracebridge, where we stayed with our family.  Downtown Bracebridge is built on the Muskoka River and has a beautiful waterfall in the dead centre of town.  There is an excellent park at Bracebridge Falls with a playground and lots of shady walking trails.  Many fantastic restaurants specialize in "Farm to Table" fresh cuisine (check out SAVOUR MUSKOKA) and cute little cottage lifestyle shops like Simply Cottage selling had made furniture, antiques and clever knick-knacks.  Bracebridge is also the home of the award-winning craft beer Muskoka Brewery which you should definitely check out.  The Muskoka River flows into Muskoka Lake, where you will find many public swimming beaches and parks with picnic areas and boat launches.

I must admit, I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb here-like a complete "tourista" in my own county.  I was calling the area "The Muskokas," thinking I must be referring to a mountain range or a lake system like "The Rockies" or  "The Finger Lakes."  This was my first mistake as an outsider.  TIP: The correct term is just Muskoka like "Aspen" or "Whistler."  Muskoka is named after a district of six municipalities, not a town, hence my confusion.

Lake of Bays Brewery Biergarten

The next day we left Bracebridge and continued on our little beer pilgrimage...a brewgrimage if you will.  Instead of heading further along highway 11 to Algonquin Provincial Park, we took Highway 117 to Baysville, which is a charming village in Lake Of Bays.  Not THE Lake Of  Bays; I was trying to get the lingo right!  Lake of Bays is a township within the district of Muskoka, Baysville being the southernmost of the towns.  The village of Baysville is situated on a lake called...wait for it...Lake Of Bays.  There were lots of steamships on the lakes of Muskoka in the 1800s, and Baysville was connected via steamer to Dwight, Dorset and several other communities on Lake Of Bays.  Looking at the map, I realized this area is way too big to explore in one or two weekends.

Lake Of Bays Brewery is located on Highway117 that goes through the centre of Baysville. Here is where you can go to the store and get a little taste of the craft beers Lake Of Bays Brewery has on offer and purchase beer to take home.  They also have a warm and welcoming Biergarten full of picnic tables and brightly painted Muskoka deck chairs to enjoy a sunny spot and a cold beer.  TIP: The deck chairs out here are called MUSKOKA chairs, not ADIRONDACK chairs!  Canadian lingo vs. American, but they are the same thing.  TIP: Lake of Bays Brewery just opened a second Brewhouse in Huntsville just North of Bracebridge- with a restaurant to open this summer of 2018!

Miss Nelle's Cafe, Baysville

Just down the street from Lake of Bays Brewery is a Baysville institution.   Stroll down Bay Street towards "The Narrows" as the locals call the lake at this point, and you come across Miss Nelle's Cafe and Antique Market.  Miss Nell Connelly was a resident of Baysville and owned a store here at #2 Bay street since 1966.  The house itself was built in 1872 and was used as a supply store to outfit the steamships that used to go up and down Lake Of Bays at the turn of the century.  Miss Nell got a job here in 1918, and in 1966 she bought the property and ran it as a general store.  In 2000, at the age of 100, Miss Nell decided to sell the store and retire. Miss Nelle's Antique Cafe was created, and Miss Nell got to enjoy sitting on the porch and taking in the gorgeous view of the lake she loved so very much.

Muskoka❤Love

Today the cafe bustles with locals and tourists alike enjoying delicious home baking, full breakfasts, lunch sandwiches & paninis, soups and chilli.  Miss Nelle's is also licenced so you can enjoy a nice glass of wine or a cold beer with your lunch.  In the summer, there is an ice cream shack selling local Kawartha Dairy ice cream and a new outdoor BBQ area!  The cafe also sells local handcrafted goods and gifts, including delicious Muskoka Roastery Coffee from Huntsville.  Muskoka Coffee is our absolute favourite coffee in Ontario (maybe even all of Canada).  The coffee is 100% organic, and this company is super environmentally friendly, folks.  I can't say enough good stuff about this roastery, and their Wood-Roasted Espresso is the most delicious coffee I've had in Canada.  

Butter Tarts With A View Of The Lake

We sat on the porch of Miss Nelle's savouring the most delicious homemade butter tarts I think have ever consumed, washed down with dark Muskoka coffee and enjoyed the view of the boats gliding along on the lake.  You could just imagine the place in its heyday, alive and busy with all steamships docked here letting off passengers, picking up supplies and unloading goods.  Now it's a tourist's paradise of butter tarts, beer and sparkling lake water!

If you want to get out on that crystal blue water, you can arrange a Boat Tour with Lake of Bays Boat Tours.  They pick you upright on the dock off of Baysville Terrance located just behind Miss Nelle's.  Three hour guided tours depart daily from the Riverfront Dock Park on Baysville Terrace.  These tours fill up fast at only $45, and you must book ahead.  They also arrange private charters for up to 12 guests and service all points on Lake Of Bays.
To discover more up to date tourist information, I found the Muskoka Tourism website very helpful.  The website breaks down the tourism into the six Muskoka districts for you so you can search by region.

I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon in Baysville then getting out on The Lake Of Bays and maybe have a swim in that crystal clear water.   But we had a campsite waiting for us in Algonquin Park, and we wanted to arrive before evening to set up our camp.  Now that we were stocked up with beer, coffee and butter tarts from Baysville, we felt genuinely prepared for our camping trip with our Muskoka luxury items.  This area of Ontario has impressed this little BC hippie "Nature Biscuit" from out west! Muskoka is a blend of history, beautiful landscapes and a unique vacation vibe of cottage-goers that have been returning to the same little houses on these lakes for many, many generations.
I look forward to exploring the rest of Muskoka over the years, one weekend at a time...❤

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